Fate's Expectations
by Kat A. Klysmic
Summary: Link struggles to find his place in the world after Midna breaks the Mirror of Twilight, separating them forever. Zelda is not about to let him fade back into the simple country life just because there is peace in the realm once more, though. She gives him a new purpose in life even as the shadows begin to grow long over the kingdom of Hyrule once more. LinkxMidna
1. Grey

**Author's Note: **In honor of all the Zelda related announcements at E3, I've decided to do a post Twilight Princess fanfic! For those of you here hoping for updates on my stories "The Call" or "Through the Eyes of a Hatter", I promise I'm still working on them, I haven't forgotten! This one was just begging to come out, lol.

Please review if you enjoyed! Comments feed my ravenous muse!

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**Fate's Expectations**

Chapter 1: Grey

The breaking of dawn over Hyrule castle found Princess Zelda not in her bed, but out on her balcony, watching a young man dressed all in green saddle his russet mare in the courtyard far below. The morning sky was so heavy with clouds that it was difficult to tell that the sun had, in fact, risen. Like Link, though, Zelda had long since become accustomed to rising at dawn to answer the demands placed upon royalty by their kingdom.

This morning the sky reflected both of their moods perfectly, though the princess might have wished otherwise. It was chill and drizzling, leaving a fine mist over everything in sight, including Zelda herself. Despite the weather, she was still dressed only in her nightgown and a light robe, apparently immune to the miserable chill that lay over her kingdom.

She watched as Link slipped the bridle over Epona's muzzle, drew it up over her ears, and adjusted the buckles with the care and attention that he always employed with his beloved steed. His attentions did, however, lack their usual energy, revealing to anyone with a sharp eye just how much the Hero of Twilight was suffering.

With a sigh, Zelda pulled her attention away from the young man that had saved her kingdom, and cast her gaze out across the ruined castle walls and onto the city proper. This morning _should_ have been bright and full of glorious light as it poured over the horizon like honey and filled the broad avenues and dank alleys alike with it's joyous glow. Her city should have been _celebrating_ the tired, tattered young man in the courtyard below, lavishing him with gifts and praise and parades...

Unfortunately, the parties had all been over by the time she and Link had completed the week long ride all the way back from the Arbiters grounds. The city had turned in on itself as it focused on rebuilding and generally getting on with life, the way a large city always does so long as it's been left with it's foundations. She and Link had arrived well after dark the night before, tired and drawn...particularly her Hero. The worst part, Zelda realized as she watched him work, was that no one outside of a few fringe groups had any idea what Link had done for him. That he even existed. While he no doubt preferred it that way, it irked the Princess in a way that her powerful sense of justice simply couldn't abide.

If Link could just be _happy_, she thought she might be able to allow him the peace of anonymity that he seemed to desire. The man had been so full of hope when he'd been reunited with his friend after the final battle. The smile that had broken over his sun-kissed face and lit his blue eyes had been more beautiful than any sunrise, the very picture of how she hoped things would be from that day forward in her kingdom; full of indomitable hope and a pure, honest joy in life itself.

He had been sad when Midna had said she had to return to her kingdom, but resigned, and still hopeful. He understood responsibility too well by now to argue with her, to try and convince her to stay. Zelda could see clearly how he longed to do just that, but being the man he was, he had reigned in his own selfish desires and let her go.

Brushing damp strands of hair back from her pale face, Zelda closed her eyes against sight of the slump of Link's shoulders below as he mounted Epona and gathered the reigns in his hands, only to be haunted by the heartbroken expression his face had been contorted into the moment Midna had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight.

Though she would never do so aloud, Zelda cursed her Twili counterpart for her inarguable conviction in terminating the connection between their two worlds. Surely they could have worked something out, set some sort of safety precautions that would allow them to remain in contact? She was not so blind as to miss the genuine affection Midna held for Link, they had gone through far too much to not be bound by ties that could never be broken, not even by the insurmountable distance the Twilight Princess had put between herself and their Hero.

In the end, all Midna had done was doom herself and Link both to a lifetime of suffering in the absence of the other.

The trip back from the Arbiter's grounds had been long, quiet, and painful for Zelda. Link's spirit seemed to have been doused as effectively as a bucket of water dumped over a candle, despite the princess' attempts to remind him of the monumental feat they had achieved and what it meant for the kingdom, possibly the world. He'd simply smiled and agreed before descending back into pensive silence as he set up their camp for the night and sat watch over her. The princess didn't doubt for a moment that the man had barely gotten a wink of sleep thanks to her, but she hadn't been able to convince him to let her take watch. She would have been annoyed at his seemingly high-handed way of insisting on taking care of her if it hadn't been for the fact that she'd proved herself completely incapable of even starting a fire without magic. Never mind finding the right kind of firewood, chopping it, hunting for their dinner, or preparing whatever she managed to kill. Link achieved all of these without even seeming to notice he was doing it most of the time, like he was on autopilot, his mind somewhere else entirely.

So maybe she _was _a little useless when it came to roughing it in the wilderness. All that realization had done was make her resolved to remedy that particular gap in her knowledge as soon as possible. After all, she didn't need the Triforce of Wisdom to know that it'd be a good idea to know how to take care of herself if she ever became stranded on her own somewhere.

In the end, she'd allowed Link to do what he did best, protect her, for the rest of the trip. She'd nearly asked him to teach her himself, but his mind had been so far afield that she'd barely been able to wrest two words at a time from him the entirety of their trip, so she'd soon given up.

The sensation of water trickling down her back sent a shiver running up Zelda's spine, dragging her from her thoughts, eyes open once more. Leaning over the railing of her balcony, the Princess looked for Link in the courtyard below, but he was nowhere to be found.

Zelda sighed and straightened once more, casting one last look out across her kingdom before turning and heading back inside before she caught a cold.

She'd let Link go, for now. He had fought hard, and had earned himself time to rest, and to mourn. If he thought that she was going to let him disappear on her, though, he had another thing coming. Deep down in some small part of herself that was not just her, but _every_ Zelda the Goddesses had called into their service over the generations, the Princess knew that Link would never be capable of resting on his laurels for long. The boy that had become a man, who had in turn become a _hero, _would never be content as a simple goatherd ever again. He, like other Heroes before him, had tasted adventure and the things the wider world had to offer, and it had changed him irrevocably.

She'd give him a month.

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**AN: **Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! We'll be hearing from Link next chapter, so review and stay tuned! I'm not sure yet exactly how long this is going to be, but probably a pretty decent length by the time we get where we're going ;)


	2. Light and Sorrow

**Author's Note: **Hey, so here we are at chapter two! I'm going to aim to update every monday, so keep an eye out from here on! We get to see things from Link's persepective this time around, so enjoy! I did add a few details to canon scenes, obviously, because let's face it, Link was nowhere near emotional enough in that goodbye scene, dammit XD

Anyways, please l**eave a review** if you enjoyed! They feed my muse and keep me writing!

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**Fate's Expectations**

Chapter 2: Light and Sorrow

Link nudged Epona into a quick canter as soon as they passed the city gates and hit the road heading south towards Ordon. Once they reached the open fields, the man adjusted his posture and gave his steed her head, transitioning smoothly as she broke into a full gallop.

Castle Town rapidly disappeared behind them, swallowed up by hill and forest as Epona's ground eating stride put distance between Link and the Princess to whom he owed his fealty. He was still exhausted after their late arrival the previous evening, but sleep had eluded him, and nightmares had been waiting when he had finally managed to drift off in the early hours of the morning. On waking, Link had felt like he was suffocating, limbs tangled in the fine silk sheets of his too-soft bed, his nightshirt soaked with sweat.

Unable to think clearly, Link had all but torn the sheets from his person before his desperate need for airdrove him out into the cold, rain soaked night. What had been a drizzle a few hours before when he and the Princess had entered the city had become a deluge, and Link was soon soaked to the bone. The hero had absently pushed clinging strands of wet hair from his face and leaned his back against the railing of the balcony that came with his rooms, breathing deeply of the sharp, clean air. Still wracked with fine tremors in the wake of a forgotten nightmare, Link had turned his face skyward and allowed the rain to stream down across his cheeks and through his hair, seeking relief in the darkness of night. His heavily bandaged hands dangled loosely at his sides as he waited for inner peace that would not come.

He'd known, in that moment, that he had to leave. He couldn't be there in the castle that Midna had destroyed fighting to save him and Zelda. Upon their return, they had been quartered in one of the wings that had been left standing and structurally sound in the wake of the Twilight Princess' wrath, and it was simply too much to handle. Link needed time to retreat and lick his wounds before he could bear to be there, or even in the city again. He knew as sure as the sun would rise that Zelda would want to keep him there with her in some capacity or another, and the very thought made him feel ill.

So he left.

In the wee hours of the morning he gathered his things, saddled Epona, and ran without saying goodbye. Some little piece of him that was the Hero accused him of being a coward, but Link ignored it and focused his attention on the road that fled rapidly beneath his horse's hooves.

Around mid-day, they stopped by a secluded stream, and Link lowered himself, shaking with exhaustion from the hard ride and lack of sleep, to the ground. Habit was all that carried him through taking off Epona's bridle and tethering her near to the stream where she would have access to plenty of grass and water. He nearly dropped her saddle when he hauled it down off her back, carrying it a step or two before plopping it down unceremoniously on the ground. When he laid down, using the saddle as a pillow without bothering to take the blanket out of his bed roll, Epona gave a soft nicker of concern and lipped his hair and one long ear.

Tiredly, Link brushed off his mount's affections and dropped almost immediately into a deep sleep.

* * *

"No!"

Link felt the words as though they had been torn from his chest and forced out into the world past unwilling lips. He jolted back into waking, shaking again as he rolled onto his back and pressed his heavily bandaged hands to his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears that flowed freely down his bloodless cheeks.

Groaning, Link forced himself into a sitting position and planted his elbows on his knees, palms still pressed unforgivingly into his rebellious eyes. He took a deep, shuddering breath to clear the cobwebs of dreams left behind by sleep, and by the time he finally lowered his hands, he could barely remember what he'd been dreaming of. He remembered brilliant shards of light, and pain, and sorrow...

_'See you later...'_

The words plagued him every day. It had been a week since she had spoken them in that broken voice that had struck fear into his heart, and he knew that they would never fade. He would never forget them should he live a hundred years, they would haunt him for as long as he walked the earth.

His dearest, most trusted friend was gone, and he would never see her again.

Shoving the oft repeated thought aside for the umpteenth time, Link looked down at his hands and noted that they were covered in dirt and bits of grass. The heavy bandages that kept him from donning his gauntlets were stained and loose, making him frown in annoyance. Looking around, he noticed that the grass and earth beside the saddle he had been using as a pillow was uprooted, as though he had been scrambling desperately for something in his sleep.

Sighing heavily, Link rummaged through his pack and came up with a roll of bandages and a cloth he used for washing, and headed towards the stream. Epona snorted and watched him go for a moment before returning to her grazing.

The sun was already low on the horizon, casting orange and gold fire across the surface of the water as it flowed serenely past. As Link gently unraveled the soiled bandages from his hands, he decided to simply camp there for the evening. He'd intended to get much closer to Ordon before settling down for the night, but here was as good a place as any, and it was hardly worth getting Epona geared up again just to get an hour's worth of riding done.

Link set his old bandages aside and crouched down beside a small pool that jutted off of the main expanse of the stream and glanced at his reflection. What he saw startled him for a moment, until he snorted with annoyance when he realized that his racoon-like appearance was due to his rubbing his eyes with earth coated hands. Peering closer, he grimaced. He looked awful, eyes red, face dirty, swaths of clean skin standing out starkly from where his tears had flowed in his sleep...what a mess.

Plunging his hands into the water, Link winced as the icy temperature met the still healing wounds on his hands, making them sting sharply before he pulled them out again, cupping water so he could wash his face. He repeated the motion several times before he was satisfied and wiped his face off on the cloth he'd brought along with him. Most obvious problem taken care of, Link turned his attention to the long, deep gashes on his palms, examining them closely to make sure they hadn't become infected since the last time he had changed the bandages.

They seemed to be healing well, though it would be awhile yet before they were healed enough to use a bow or wield a sword without cracking the slowly forming scabs again. He supposed he was lucky that he hadn't severed a tendon as he'd snatched at piece after shattered piece of rapidly dissolving Twilight Mirror...

Turning his attention towards cleaning bits of dirt out of the cuts that had re-opened in his sleep, Link grit his teeth and tried desperately not to think about the circumstances under which he'd garnered these particular wounds. Though his actions were rough with emotion and hurt his hands in an attempt to use pain to distract himself, Link was plagued by the memory of the worst day of his life.

* * *

The hot desert breeze plucked at his clothing and stirred Midna's long robes as she smiled at him, and stepped away. He wanted to ask her to stay, wanted to get down on his knees and beg her to take him with her, but Link's mouth had gone dry, his words scattered to the winds. He couldn't ask something like that of her, not now that he knew she was a princess with an obligation to her country, to her people...It was selfish of him to even consider it.

Oh goddesses did he _want_ to be selfish, though.

He had sacrificed so much for Ordon, for Hyrule, for the world in his quest to free them all from Zant's oppressive reign and Ganondorf's wrath. Wasn't he allowed to be selfish? Just this once? How could it possibly be fair that he should have to go through so much strife for the sake of others, and then, when his quest was done, be unable to remain at the side of his dearest friend?

Still, at heart, Link was not a selfish man. He bit back his words and watched Midna activate the steps up to the portal between their worlds.

"As long as the mirror's around, we could meet again..." she said in that same lilting voice that had become so familiar to him. Unlike usual, though, her tone was somber, pensive, almost worried.

Link took those words to heart and chanted them like a mantra, like a promise to the universe. He _would_ see her again, it wasn't impossible with the Mirror of Twilight still waiting for them in the Arbiter's Grounds. He was _right_ to be letting her go, her people needed her, after all, and the people of Hyrule needed him. He did his very best to smother the insistent voice in his heart that said that all _he_ needed was _her_.

_I will see her again. I will see her again. I __**will**__ see her again..._

_"_Link..._"_

His name on her lips made his heart leap and his stomach tighten alarmingly. Unconsciously, he took a half-step toward her, only to freeze as a tear unexpectedly escaped one of her large, luminous eyes. He watched, transfixed, as it trailed down her silver cheek and escaped the gentle plane of her face to drift, like a will-o-the-wisp, into the hot evening air. It glowed, a tiny golden star that refused to be outshone by the setting sun, and for a moment, Link thought that Midna would reach up and grasp it with one shadowy, elegant hand. Instead, to his surprise, she pushed it forward, propelling it across the space between them.

"I..." Her voice was tight with emotion now, but still he could not tear his eyes from the spark, though a deep sense of foreboding settled into his heart.

"See you later..." Her voice nearly broke, and finally Link was able to pull his gaze from the tiny speck of light and look at her once more. Her expression was pained, and again, he wanted to move towards her, but the ominous crack that shattered the immense silence of the Arbiter's Grounds had him and Zelda both wheeling back around to look at the Mirror of Twilight.

What had she done? Goddesses, what had she _done?!_

The mirror was a spider's web of hairline cracks that, even now, was distorting the light that it emitted towards the great, black monolith that served as the portal between realms. Movement at the corner of his eye dragged Link's attention back to Midna as she gracefully mounted the stairs and spun to look at him one last time. Behind her, the portal powered up, and she smiled at him, though her lip trembled and tears threatened to stream freely down her achingly familiar, yet strange, face. He was running towards her again before he realized it, reaching in vain for her, watching as her smile fell away and the magic reached a ringing crescendo all around them.

It was too late.

Before he could even make the first stair, Link was forced to watch as Midna dissolved into a stream of light and banished back to the Realm of Twilight.

The mirror shattered as Link cried out in denial of the truth, his voice breaking as he fell to his knees and grasped in vain at the shards of the Mirror of Twilight that fell like stars around him. As he clutched at each broken piece, it cut him deeply and then dissolved into stardust that drifted away on the hot desert wind. Piece after piece faded around him until there was nothing left, only the mirror's stand and the great monolith remained to remind them of what had once been.

Link cried out again, this time it was a long, broken cry of agony. It was wordless, and visceral, reminiscent of a wolf's howl as it rent the twilight that weighed heavily upon his heart, and Zelda's shoulders. He pounded the stones beneath him with bloody hands as a pain and sense of loss that he was unable to express in mere words bloomed in his heart and put down deep roots in his soul.

He wasn't sure how long the scream went on, but eventually, some time after he had spent himself and finally caught his breath, a hands were placed gently upon his shoulders.

"Link," Zelda's voice was hesitant and sad, and there was a question there that he wasn't sure he could answer. He looked around at her and saw that she had one hand placed on his left shoulder, an expression of worry in her deep blue eyes. Turning his head to the other side, where he swore he felt a second hand, Link saw nothing.

The Hero of Twilight closed his eyes for a moment, then finally pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. The princess was forced to grab his arm to steady him, and gently lead him away from the mirror chamber.

* * *

Link jolted when he realized that the water on his palms was rapidly being replaced by blood thanks to his overzealous cleaning of his barely healed wounds. Cursing, he dunked them back in the stream again, eyes shut tight against the pain before pulling them back out and drying them. Fumbling only slightly, the man re-bandaged his hands tightly, using extra strips as padding against his palms to absorb the worst of the blood. That done, he washed his old bandages and hung them from a nearby tree branch to dry. He'd learned the hard way, when he was first starting out, that you _never _threw out bandages so long as they were, more-or-less, still in one piece. Even then they at least made good kindling. Traveling all over the back end of creation and in the depths of long abandoned ancient temples meant there weren't exactly a lot of healers at hand, so he'd had to make due with what he had more than once.

He was lucky, really, that he wasn't still sporting bandages all over his person after the battle with Ganondorf. Though they had been triumphant, Link had paid for their victory in blood. If Zelda hadn't been there to heal him with her magic after the fact, he wasn't sure that his already too brief reunion with Midna would not have been further shortened by his demise. Link was quite certain that Ganon had managed one fatal blow before Link had slain him. Only adrenaline, and possibly the magic of the Triforce, had kept him going long enough to do that.

Hands bandaged, Link turned his attention to finding enough firewood to last him through the evening, though he remained lost in thought.

Objectively, Link _knew _that he should be happy in the wake of his victory. After all, he had saved the world from the most powerful evil sorcerer the world had ever seen. His friends were all safe, the Princess was back on the throne where she belonged, and Hyrule would thrive under her steady guidance.

Zelda had repeatedly, though gently, reminded him of all these things on their journey back to Castle Town from the Arbiter's Grounds, and yet...all he felt was sad, empty, and alone.

There was an imp-shaped hole in his life that he would never recover from.

Link missed Midna's teasing, her insults, her sharp wit, and that mischievous look she got right before she did something that would make him want to slap his forehead in exasperation and laugh at the same time. He missed the way he barely needed to say a word for her to know precisely what he was thinking, and her easy, companionable manner when they sat together by the fire at night and stargazed. The days dragged without her energetic presence at his side, and the world seemed far less interesting without her constantly pestering him with questions about one thing or another about the 'Realm of Light' as they traveled.

He missed the one person who had come to understand him best in all the world. The one that accepted him for the good and the bad, not just the idealized picture of a perfect Hero that he was supposed to be. He made mistakes, and though she teased him for it, she would help him pick up the pieces. He could be wrathful, and she would stay his sword before he did something that she knew he would regret later. When he was plagued by worry or self-doubt, she bolstered him and kept him moving forward. Midna had saved him in battle many times, and had helped him patch up his wounds even more often than that.

He loved her more than anything, and he would never see her again.

The realization of the depth of his affections made his already uneven breaths hitch in his throat, but brought no joy, only intensified the pain in his heart from a dull ache to a sharp, agonizing pulse that made it all the more difficult for him to go about his tasks.

In the end, Link made a small fire and skipped eating entirely, not feeling equal to the task of keeping food down with his stomach churning the way it was. He curled up on his bed roll next to the fire and prayed to the goddesses that they would grant him sweet dreams of what he had lost to ease the ache in his heart.

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**AN:** Well there you have it! Hope you enjoyed! Remember to sacrifice a review for my hungry, hungry muse! From here on out is where the story will really get rolling, so stay tuned next monday for more! We'll get some story foundations laid next time around!


	3. Readjustment

**Author's****Note: **Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay in posting, but my sister was in town visiting so my usual writing schedule went right out the window, lol! To make up for it, though, this chapter is double the length of the previous one!

Read and review! Reviews feed my muse and keep me writing!

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**Fate's Expectations**

Chapter 3: Readjustment

It was two days before Link made it to the edge of Faron woods, and another day after that before he crossed the bridge into Ordon proper. It was after dark when he arrived home, and he and Epona were both exhausted. He'd probably driven them too hard in his need to escape the capital, but his loyal steed hadn't protested. She seemed just as eager to be home as her master.

Link relieved Epona of her burdens and led her into the make-shift stall at the base of the tree house. He was surprised to find that there was fresh hay already waiting for her, as well as a bucket of clean water. Perplexed, but too tired to think on it for long, Link left the mare to eat and rest, and focused his attention on hauling his saddlebags up the ladder and into the house.

He kicked the door open after fumbling with the handle for a moment, then stepped inside and dropped his bags unceremoniously to the floor. A few moment's stumbling about in the dark, and a curse or two later, a candle flickered to life and Link quickly tossed the spent match into the fireplace. He carefully placed the gently glowing candle in a stand and looked around to see what he'd have to get together to get a fire started.

To his surprise, in addition to the fresh hay and water he'd found in Epona's stall, there was already a fire laid in the grate, just waiting to be lit. Opting not to look a gift horse in the mouth, the man lit this as well, and after a few minute's stoking and rearranging, had a strong fire going.

With the room well lit, Link was able to turn his attention to the rest of the circular room. He was puzzled to find that rather than being coated in a layer of dust, the entire place seemed to be spotlessly clean. Certainly cleaner than he had left it when he had raced out of Ordon in such a hurry before. He'd had more important things to worry about than covering the furniture or getting rid of his food so that it didn't go bad in his absence.

Curious now, the man poked his head into his pantries and found that most of the food, which would have long since gone bad, had been removed, though the dried staples had been left. Ascending to the loft, he noted that his clothes had all been cleaned and neatly put away. Even his bed was made.

In the end Link figured that one of the villagers must have been looking after the place while he was gone, perhaps out of gratitude for saving the children. He was grateful, in any case, that he wasn't going to have to sleep in a stale, dusty bed that night, or exert the effort of cleaning it himself.

With a sigh, the energy the minor mystery had provided him fled, and Link settled himself before the fire on one of the few chairs he owned. The man pulled off his hat and tossed it onto the small table that also served as his desk, and then kicked off his boots. His belts and pouches followed, while the Master Sword was carefully un-clipped and propped up against the wall. He knew he'd have to return the blade to the ruins in which he'd found it soon, but for now, Link set it aside with the same gentle reverence he always felt for the sacred blade.

The green tunic was tugged off over his head, and Link paused with it in his hands, fingering the durable fabric absently as he remembered the day that he had first worn it. The Hero's garb...was it the same tunic that another man before him had worn? Or simply made in the same style by Faron for him to wear? Had the chain mail under that familiar green fabric weighed as heavily on another Hero's shoulders at the end of the day? Saved his life as often?

Had that Hero also lost someone he loved?

Link closed his eyes tightly against the thought. When he opened them again, he firmly set the tunic aside and tugged off his chain mail, discarding it across the back of his chair for cleaning later. He stripped down to his pants and then started up the ladder to his bed after banking the fire. He just didn't have the energy to deal with the emotions that were threatening to well up in him once more, and somehow, rather than making things better, being home only seemed to make it worse.

The man fell gracelessly into bed and lay there, the silence of his own home deafening as he stared up at the vaulted ceiling. Being there again felt...strange, and almost wrong. It was like trying to fit into an old, favorite pair of shoes that you had outgrown since you'd last worn them. They pinched and chafed, and no matter how hard you wished that you might fit into them again, you never would.

* * *

It wasn't until a day and a half later that anyone realized that Link had finally returned. He had been strangely reluctant to venture down into the village, as though if he met someone there, it would make everything that had happened in the last two weeks real. There was a finality to it that the normally courageous young man could not help but avoid. So for nearly two days Link pottered about his house as though he had some need to re-familiarize himself with it, cared for Epona, hunted for his dinner in the forest that surrounded his home...and pretended it was all a dream. No matter how long he spent there, though, the cramped feeling of him trying to squeeze back into a life he no longer fit would not leave him.

In the end, he felt relieved when his presence was finally discovered.

Link had just exited the tree line into the clearing around his home when a flash of gold caught his eye, immediately drawing his attention some ways down the path that lead to the village. He paused, bow in one hand, fresh killed rabbit in the other, as his eyes locked with Uli's across the distance. She let out a wordless cry that made the man flinch, but he recovered quickly and a soft smile overcame his features as she rushed up the path towards him. The basket she was carrying was dropped in the grass as she wrapped him up in a tight hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Oh Link, we've been so _worried_!" she cried, tone simultaneously joyful and chiding.

The Hero returned the embrace and simply replied "I know. I'm sorry," as he buried his face deep in her shoulder and took a deep breath.

The lovely blonde woman wasn't much older than he was, but she had been like an aunt (or a surrogate mother if he was being honest with himself) to him for some time now, and her warm presence helped ease the sense of discomfort he'd been experiencing since finally returning to Ordon. Link inhaled deeply, some part of him that had once been a wolf reveling in the familiarity of her scent, while also noting that it was somehow...different.

As soft noise caught his ear, making Link look up and directly into the bright blue eyes of the fairheaded child in the sling on Uli's back. He blinked, and the baby cooed, drool dribbling down it's chin.

Uli must have felt him tense in surprise, as she looked at him a moment later, and then grinned when she saw him having a veritable staring contest with her new daughter "Oh Link dear, I had forgotten that you hadn't met her yet!" she said with a laugh as she reached around and swung the little girl up out of her carrying sling and into her arm's with a practice movement.

Smiling tenderly at the little girl, and then at Link, Uli said "This is Riala; Riala, this is Link," she told the baby as she planted a soft kiss on her downy head.

Link and Riala shared another long, almost suspicious look before the infant finally stretched out a damp, pink little hand that she had been chewing on a moment before and flexed her little fingers. The young man regarded her solemnly for a moment before hooking his bow on one shoulder and gently reached up to take the baby's hand, and shook it gently. Riala's hand closed reflexively around one of his calloused fingers, and Link found a smile spreading over his face in spite of himself.

"Hello, Riala. It's a pleasure," he said in a quiet tone. Riala gurgled.

Uli laughed even as she used her free hand to hastily wipe away a few stray, happy tears "You know, that's the same way you greeted Colin when he was born, do you remember?" she asked as she shifted Ria so the baby now sat on her hip.

Link blinked in surprise and shook his head. Colin would have been born nearly ten years ago now, before he himself was ten. He distinctly remembered being fascinated by the newest addition to the village, but beyond that he didn't recall specifics.

Uli just smiled and shook her head, waving off his lack of memory "Well, it was a long time ago, wasn't it?" she remarked fondly before turning her attention back to Link "But Link, when did you get home? Why didn't you come right down into the village?" she asked, a shadow passing over her lovely face.

The man flinched, but couldn't pull his eyes from hers. Somehow, it became important to convince her that the problem wasn't her, or his extended adopted family that made up the village of Ordon. _He_ was the problem, plague as he was by the sensation of no longer fitting into the community he once called home.

"I-" he started, before snapping his mouth shut as the words refused to cross the threshold from his mind into the conversation. His gaze drifted sideways as he tried to fixate on anything but her imploring eyes.

"Oh, Link," she murmured quietly, clearly struggling to find words herself. For a long moment, they both stood awkwardly, each completely at a loss as to what they could possibly say to reassure the other.

"Do you-" Uli broke the silence first, but the subtle shifting of the underbrush and the soft crack of a branch breaking under foot caught Link's ears. He dropped the rabbit, swung his bow up, and knocked an arrow to the string so fast that Uli barely saw him do it; it had all been a blur. The blonde woman gave a small squeak of surprise when Link pulled the bow back to full draw and waited for whatever was lurking to reveal itself.

"Mom? I brought the water-skin!" called a familiar voice as a boy erupted at a run from the trees. The wide smile dropped almost immediately as Colin skidded to a stop, eyes wide as they met Link's narrowed blue gaze "L-Link!" he stuttered in surprise, dropping his burden as his hands went slack.

The Hero released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and carefully lowered his bow and returned the arrow to it's quiver "Colin," he said, a fine tremor running down his back as it occurred to his conscious mind that he'd nearly shot his young friend. If he'd followed his instincts and shot as soon as he'd heard the sound, as he normally would have, the boy would have been dead "I'm sorry, you took me by surprise," Link began, only to be interrupted by the boy running forth and wrapping his arms around his waist in a tight hug.

"You're back! I...we..." Colin looked up at Link, tears threatening to form in his large eyes and his lip trembled. He bit down on it resolutely, though, and shook his head instead.

"We were all worried that you'd never make it home," Uli chimed in quietly, and when Link turned his attention back to Colin's mother, he noted that she was looking at him differently. Something passed between them, then, and Link knew that Uli recognized that the boy that had left Ordon, and the man who had returned, were two different people. They still shared many qualities, but strife, loss, and death had irrevocably changed the innocent young man she had known from his childhood.

Colin looked from his mother to Link, and back again, brow furrowed, but not sure he should ask about what had just transpired between the two adults. So, instead, he released his friend's waist and tugged on his hand, saying "Hey, we've got snacks, why don't we eat out here? Right mom?" he asked, looking at her hopefully before turning back to Link "We've been coming up and taking care of your house while you've been gone so it wouldn't be a mess when you finally came home," Colin confessed with a wide smile.

Uli cleared her throat and looked at her son, who deflated a bit and said "Alright, _mom's _been cleaning mostly," he straightened up and proclaimed "Though I have been helping! I keep an eye on Riala, right?" the boy asked his mother with an expression like a kicked puppy. The boy's naturally down-turned eyes lent themselves well to the expression.

"Yes, you have, Colin," Uli replied, face lightening as she smiled down at her son "Now go fetch the basket, please, I'm afraid I dropped it," she admitted, wrinkling her nose.

Link smiled as Colin ran off down the path to get the woven basket his mother had dropped in her surprise to see him, then made a detour to pick-up the water-skin _he'd_ dropped. Like mother like son, he supposed.

"Are you going to skin that, Link?" Uli asked, pointing to the rabbit he'd killed "It'll make a proper meal of the fruit and bread I brought along for a snack," she commented with a smile "If you cook it up, we can all have a picnic, sound good?"

The man looked from Colin's brightly smiling face as he came back up the path with a bounce in his step, to Uli and Riala who watched him expectantly "Sounds nice," he agreed quietly, surprised by the warmth that he felt for these three people after feeling nothing but the painful chill of loss for over a week. It loosened something within him, and he found the prospect of spending the evening with others much more appealing than it had seemed the previous night.

* * *

Uli saw something in Link that day. Something hiding under his strength and calm facade that was fragile, and as easily startled as a wild thing unaccustomed to being around people. As such, she took the responsibility of _slowly _re-integrating Link into their little village society on her slim shoulders.

The evening that she and her children had dined with Link on the grass in front of his house, Uli had found herself stealing penetrating looks at the young man whenever his attention strayed to Colin or Riala. He had changed so much in the months that he had been gone, some ways more obvious than others. For one thing, he'd grown, which surprised her. They'd already been about the same height before he left, but now she had to look up in order to meet his eyes. He was leaner than ever, and there was a hardness to him that hadn't been there before, making it harder than ever for her to read his moods.

One thing that hadn't changed, though, was the sweetness of his smile. She had always loved the way it lit up his face and eyes, and though it had not changed in his absence, it certainly appeared less frequently. Whenever the man thought no one was looking, his blue eyes would gain a distant look, and a frown often troubled his handsome features.

Twilight was the most common time to find Link wearing this expression while looking distinctly alone, no matter how many people surrounded him. More observant of the little shifts in the man's moods than most of the villagers, Uli soon noticed the way he always paused and stared absently into the distance whenever twilight fell. Her husband had often lamented of the sad feeling that seemed to descend over the world at this time of day, but Link, she thought, seemed to personify that feeling body and soul as the shadows would lengthen and the stars gradually appear.

Ilia was the next person to visit Link in his home before he managed to make his way down to the village. There was a tense moment when Link was unsure of how to approach her, and they had stood there, simply staring at one another, at a loss for how to proceed. Once upon a time he had thought himself in love with the Mayor's daughter, and had entertained the idea that _maybe_ she returned the feeling in equal measure. Looking at her, though, Link realized that the intensity of his affection for his childhood friend had mellowed from passion, to something akin to what he felt for Colin. She was a dear friend that he would do anything for, but he couldn't look at her the way he once had. Not anymore.

Link had been frozen in place with the worry that he would be forced to admit all this to Ilia, but when the moment passed, and she gave him that soft, understanding smile, he knew that she understood. He wasn't the only one that had changed.

They stepped forward as one and embraced warmly, Ilia burying her face in his shoulder to hide the her tears of relief, while Link took a deep breath to calm his still pounding heart. When they'd pulled away, Ilia had taken his hand and gently tugged him down the path he'd been afraid to tread, leading him down into the village.

Despite his protests, Bo had hosted a party for Link in his home that night, and everyone that could manage to squeeze into the normally spacious house had done so. All were eager to greet and thank their new hero, and insisted on hearing the tale of his adventure over and over again until Link could tell it without thinking.

He had, of course, given them the abridged version. It was what they really wanted, after all. He left out the horror and the blood; the loss and the pain, not wanting to dampen the happy mood that had settled over the entire village. He didn't mention that being around so many people still made him feel sick and edgy, that he was plagued by nightmares every night, and that he was still so jumpy after spending so much time in constant combat that he'd nearly shot Colin his second day back.

No matter what they claimed, no one _really _wanted all the messy, depressing, agonizing details. In the days following, the only person he'd brought himself to tell the full of it to was Uli, who had taken to checking up on him to make sure he was getting along okay. Some men would have been offended and felt their masculinity was being questioned, but Link could feel only gratitude. Particularly after she'd found him curled up in a ball on the floor of his loft after a particularly bad night terror. She'd cleaned him up, making no comment on the vomit that he'd been unable to hold down after finally waking, and gotten him back into bed.

Of all the things he'd had to do to free Hyrule from Ganondorf's influence, the memory that still terrified him the most was of that goddess forsaken temple under Lake Hylia. The haunting sense of crushing weight, impenetrable darkness, teeth, and Midna's horrified cry as he had been dragged down into the depths would leave him sweat soaked and shaking for years to come.

* * *

A month later, Link had finally settled into a routine as he eased back into village life. Most days he'd help out at Fado's ranch for a few hours before heading back into the village to see if there was anyone else who needed assistance of some kind. Though Rusl told him that he should simply rest and take it easy, Uli approved, noting that it was Link's own way of reacquainting himself with everyone and the way of life he used to share with them. Link himself knew that he would go mad if he sat around home 'resting' as Rusl tried to insist he do, so he kept at it, working all day until he could go home tired enough to get at least a few hours of dreamless sleep.

On nights that he couldn't sleep, or nights when monsters had been spotted nearby, Link would patrol the forest around Ordon. In the wake of the chaos that came with Zant and Ganondorf's death, there still seemed to be a surprising surplus of Bulbins and Goblins plaguing the realm. Link made quick work of any that he found.

It was nights like those that he felt the most comfortable. Hunting monsters that wanted to harm the people he loved was something he was _good _at. It made him feel like he was really contributing in a useful way that also let him keep his skills sharp.

He wasn't the only one patrolling the forests at night, though. Rusl had mustered any adult in the village that could use a bow or crossbow and had organized border patrol shifts. He had not asked Link to join them for fear that it would be too much after all the young man had been through, but one night in particular made him change his mind.

Rusl, Hanch, and Mayor Bo had all been on duty for that evening after receiving word from a neighboring village that a small mob of Bulbins had been seen moving in their direction. Confident that they could handle it, Rusl and the other men had set out on horseback that night and kept a wary eye out. What they hadn't expected was for the monsters to be smart enough to lure them deeper into the forest and then surround them.

Hanch tried to bolt when the attack came, only to be dragged from his horse by a particularly large Bulbin while the other men were similarly beset. Rusl could only watch in horror as the creature moved in for the kill. He was too far away to slay the thing with his blade, and Bo's crossbow had been dragged from his hands moments before. The man gave a start when the Bulbin, having just raised it's club to smash the back of Hanch's skull suddenly sprouted feathers between it's eyes. It froze, then toppled over backwards as a second, then a third of it's compatriots wound up with the same curious growth.

The sharp twang of a bowstring caught Rusl's ears, making him look around in surprise while still trying to fend off his and Bo's attackers with his blade. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he allowed something to happen to their beloved Mayor. A sudden, powerful wind had both men and monsters throwing their arms up to protect their eyes from flying debris, and when Rusl dared to drop them, he saw a strange blur of a tornado dragging at the crowd of beasts and tossing them wildly into the air before doubling back and being snatched from the air by a familiar young man on horseback.

"Rusl, get Hanch," Link commanded, an air of authority in his tone that the man had never heard there before. It was the voice of a man who knew precisely what he was doing, and Rusl followed his order without thinking twice.

With his horse free of Bulbins, Rusl spurred it forward to Hanch's side. The small man was just clambering to his feet, allowing the warrior to snatch him up onto the back of his horse. Bo followed suit and grabbed the spare horse's reigns before it could bolt.

"Get out of here, I'll meet you in the village," Link had said calmly. The intensity of his blue eyed gaze sent a jolt running down Rusl's spine, and counter to his nature, he did as ordered and fled from battle with his two companions. Behind him, the sound of steel singing as it slipped free of it's scabbard filled his ears.

* * *

After that night, with Rusl's repeated asking, Link began to give basic sword lessons to anyone with an interest in learning. Much to his surprise, the majority of the adults in the village attended, men and women both. Some were learning faster than others, but all showed a surprising dedication to the lessons.

For now, though, Link was at the Ranch repairing a fence. One of the goats had crashed right through it after being startled by one of the village dogs. Fado had gone chasing after the frenzied creature, and Link had taken it on himself to fix the hole before any more goats got any smart ideas.

As he worked, the Hero's long ears picked up the sound of hooves on the path. For a moment he couldn't help but think to himself that Fado had managed his task much faster than usual, though he knew it was uncharitable. When the sound of more hooves, followed by the brassy cry of a trumpet rang across the field, though, Link snapped up in surprise, his hand going automatically to his Ordon sword. He knew he looked ridiculous carrying it around while doing ranch work, but the battled hardened man couldn't bring himself to let it leave his side, no matter where he was. Call it paranoia, or call it being prepared, he didn't care either way.

Rather than Fado and his escaped goat coming up the path, there was an entire cavalry unit marching up the path from the village in two columns. Wary, Link walked towards the gate, leaving his sword sheathed as he eyed the banners the men carried with them at the head of the procession. The coat of arms was all too familiar, the royal insignia of the Hyrule royal family flapped smartly in the breeze as Link swung the ranch gate open and stood to one side as the procession entered. With a few exceptions, every man was decked in full plate armor, polished to a high shine and almost blinding in what little light was afforded by the cloudy afternoon sky. All were armed with not only swords, but bows and shields as well. For a moment, Link half entertained the thought that they were here to declare war on Ordon, before snorting in amusement and casting the idea aside. As much as he loved his home village, he knew all too well that you wouldn't need this well armed of a force to take the province. Besides, they were already technically under Hyrule's rule.

When Princess Zelda came into view at the heart of the procession, Link felt he should have been surprised, but he wasn't. All he felt was a curious sense of anticipation as the unit finally came to a stop and Zelda looked down at him from the back of her white mare.

The two considered one another for a moment, Princess and Hero, fellow warriors in arms against the great darkness that had tried to devour their world.

"Hello Link," Zelda said, a smile spreading across her lovely, aristocratic features.

"Your Highness," Link replied, bowing deferentially.

"There's no need for that, Hero of Hyrule," Zelda said, and a murmur went up among her men as the Princess dismounted and stepped towards Link, putting herself at his level rather than talking down to him.

She was dressed for a long ride, though her clothes were still impeccably made and decorated, as one would expect for a princess. Rather than her usual trailing gowns, though, the woman wore a skirted and embroidered pink tunic with cream breeches made of doeskin. The shirt beneath the tunic matched the pants, and she wore gloves and boots of dark leather. Her cloak's hood was down, revealing that she was not wearing her crown for this particular outing. One would have to be blind to mistake her bearing for anything but that of a princess, though.

"What brings you so far South, Princess?" Link asked, watching her closely for hints as to her intentions, still unable to drop all formalities with the woman, particularly in front of her men. He could practically feel them glaring at him from behind their helmet visors.

"Actually, I've come with-" Zelda was interrupted by a bright flash of lightning and a deafening roll of thunder. Both of them looked up in surprise, and Link noted that the sky had darkened considerably over the last few minutes.

"Perhaps we'd best get your men under cover, Princess, metal tends to attract lightning..." he let her and the men close enough to hear connect the dots. Zelda winced at the thought of the chain reaction so many men in full plate might start out in a storm, and nodded her agreement "Alright, tell them all to make a run for the barn, then. They'll have to leave the horses, though, there's no way everyone will fit otherwise," he shouted over another peal of thunder as another bolt of lightning flashed.

The men looked skyward worriedly before snapping to attention when Zelda shouted with surprising force and volume "CAVALRY DISMOUNT!" Link jolted in surprise and stared at her as she turned to one man in particular and said "Captain, get your men under cover in that barn immediately!"

"But your Highness...it's a barn...it's hardly dignified," the captain in question ventured weakly as he pushed up the visor of his helmet, face twisted in disgust at the idea.

Zelda frowned, and the man winced "You'll do as I command, Captain. I've not come all this way to end up with half of your men fried in a freak thunderstorm."

"Y-Yes, your Highness," he stuttered, flushing red at the reprimand as he hurriedly dismounted and started bellowing at his men to follow orders and _didn't they hear the princess, get __moving__!_

Link was still staring at Zelda, wondering what else he didn't know about the princess, when the heavens suddenly opened up above them and released a torrential downpour. He scowled up at the clouds and then turned back to the princess who was already pulling the hood of her cloak up, watching as her men dismounted and scampered off towards the barn, a small smile playing across her full lips.

"You find this hilarious, don't you," Link observed, almost disbelievingly.

Zelda jumped guiltily and turned to meet his gaze "I...what? No, of course not," she said with an imperious sniff that promised to turn into a sniffle if they kept out in the rain much longer "What are you waiting for? Just because you're not wearing full armor doesn't mean lightning won't be attracted to that sword of yours," the Princess pointed out and ran off after her men.

Link stared after her, then chuckled for the first time in ages and ran after her.

He caught her up easily, amusement still plain on his face. She glanced at him and stumbled in the quickly developing mud for her trouble, and was sent to her knees in the muck. The only thing that kept her from doing an undignified face-plant in the middle of a goat field was Link's grip around her upper arm as he dragged her back up to her feet.

She was flushed, embarrassed, and covered in mud as they started running again, becoming more soaked by the moment. She didn't object when Link took her hand and ran at her side, though she knew he could have passed her up easily. The barn, designed to house twenty goats, was full to bursting of men in full plate by the time the Princess and her Hero arrived. They were all cramped as far back away from the door as they could, clearly afraid of the lightning that flickered regularly across the darkened skies.

The pair came to a stop beneath the overhang of the barn's roof and stared at the cavalry for a long minute as their horses whinnied in distress in the distance. Zelda unexpectedly burst into a fit of giggles and was forced to turn away from the sight, slender shoulders shaking with the effort of not breaking into full peals of laughter at her men's expense. Link, however, had no such qualms, and chuckled as he went to the barn doors and swung them shut.

Before he closed them all the way, Link stuck his head in and said "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the princess, you men just sit tight and we'll get you once the storm dies down," a grin playing across his face.

"I-..._you!_" the Captain stammered, but was cut off when lightning flashed again and he flinched away from the door.

Link snapped the doors shut and then turned back towards the Princess, who was staring out into the rain, still fighting back giggles.

"Well, they'll be safe in there, but I can't guarantee they'll come out smelling as fresh as they went in," Link mused as he came to stand by Zelda's side.

The princess turned and stared at him for a moment and he met her eyes, arching an eyebrow at her attention. Suddenly, she lost her battle and broke out into laughter until tears sprang to her blue eyes. Link grinned and soon found himself laughing along with her.

Finally, she got herself under control and said "Thank you, Link, for your quick thinking. I don't know what I'd do if I'd wound up with a lot of deep fried cavalrymen and no way to get them home," as she fought back another bout of laughter.

"My pleasure, Princess," Link said, with a mock bow. She smiled at him, but it was quickly broken by a full body shiver. Realizing the men in the barn would likely have his head on a pike if their princess wound up with a cold, Link said "Here, lets go around back, it'll be warmer there."

Zelda nodded eagerly and followed him along the side of the barn to the back where the small forge was located. The goats didn't require much in the way of metalwork, but between the two of them, Link and Fado kept the village horses shod, and supplied building nails and other small metal items a village tended to need.

"Not much of a place for a Princess, but it'll be warmer than out there," Link said as he ducked through the small doorway and into the forge hut. It was dark, but warm, and Zelda let out a sigh of relief when they were in out of the wet.

The princess settled herself on a stool with a grace that only she could manage in such humble surroundings, and said "Trust me, any place is a place for me so long as it's warm and dry, at this point," as she watched Link step over towards the bellows and give it a few pumps. The fire flared to life, brightening the room and allowing them both to see more easily.

Link settled himself on a second stool, and for awhile, they simply watched the rain fall and listened to the fire crackle quietly at their backs.

Zelda stirred first, breaking the trance that the rain had cast over the both of them as she turned and looked at Link "How have you been, Link?"

The man looked at her curiously, but all the same "Fine. Settling back into life in the village has..."

"Taken some adjustment?" she suggested with a sympathetic smile.

Link nodded and tore his eyes from hers and stared absently at his calloused hands.

"It can't be easy, going back to the quiet life after everything you've done," Zelda remarked off-handedly as she stoked the fire with a nearby fire iron. Link looked up at her quizzically, but the princess remained focused on the flames as she continued "Running around, seeing everything that Hyrule and the neighboring kingdoms have to offer...it can't be easy coming back to a quiet little village like this. The biggest problems around here must be the occasional mob of bulbins...or an escaped goat." She finally met his eyes and smiled warmly as she added "On the other hand, the quiet must be a relief after all the chaos a month ago."

"Yes..." Link said, watching her warily, feeling as though he was on unsteady ground for some reason. He'd be lying if he didn't agree with her, though. It was nice being back in the village where one always knew what to expect, but another part of him that he'd thought had vanished along with Midna longed for the days he'd spent on the road pitting himself, his strength, and his wits against everything the world could throw at him. Parts of it had been terrifying, painful, and downright traumatizing...but he'd never felt so _alive, _either.

Zelda didn't say anything for some time, knowing that the man that had saved her kingdom was mulling over her words, just as she'd hoped he would.

Finally, Link looked back up at Zelda, and asked "Your Highness, why are you here?"

The princess blinked. It hadn't been quite what she'd been hoping for, but she would simply have to make due. Sitting up straight and turning to face her Hero, she said "Link, I have come to ask you to come back to Hyrule. I would like you to be a Knight...and my Champion."

* * *

**AN: ** Thanks for reading! Please review if you enjoyed! Your feedback really does help keep me inspired! So here we have the first turning point in our story. Tune in next week to see what happens!


	4. Take a Knee

**Author's Note:** So it looks like my new update day will probably be Tuesdays since my previous schedule got thrown off, lol. This chapter is a bit short, but hopefully you will all cut me a little slack considering how long the previous one was.  
Please leave a Review if you enjoy! Comments keep me my muse well fed and working!

* * *

**Fate's Expectations**  
Chapter Four: Take a Knee

"Excuse me?" Link asked, though he had heard her perfectly well. Judging by the look on her face, Zelda knew it too, but repeated herself anyways.

"I would like you to be my Knight Champion, Link of Ordon," Zelda said, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin to give him her most noble and commanding look. Just as she had feared, Link pulled away from her, not physically, but she could see it in his eyes. Acting quickly, she said "Link, we both know that this isn't your life, not anymore."

The Hero's blue eyes went hard and he frowned at her "My life is what I want it to be, and nothing else. I've been fate's puppet once, I won't be again," he said coldly.

Zelda changed tact and leaned in, eyes pleading now, expression soft "That's not what I meant, Link. What I meantwas that, though you may _want _to stay here and play shepherd, maybe settle down and start a family someday, you know you can't. Not for long."

Link pulled his gaze from hers and looked down at his hands where they rested loosely in his lap, but not before Zelda could see the hurt in them. She knew she had struck the nail on the head with her words. As she had expected, it had only been a month, but he was already struggling against the soporific sense peace that permeated Ordon. His warrior's heart wouldn't let him slip quietly back into that life again, not now that it had been awoken.

A heavy silence settled between them, filled only by the sound of rain pattering on the roof of the shack, and the quiet crackle of the fire at their backs.

Eventually, though, Zelda gathered her thoughts and moved to Link's side. He didn't look at her until she unexpectedly dropped to one knee before him, and gently took his hands in her own. He stared at her, uncomprehending of the sight before him; the Princess of Hyrule kneeling in the dust at his feet in a ramshackle forge shed, wet from rain and covered in mud. In that moment, she seemed more human than he had ever seen her look before.

"Link, I need a man I can trust at my back. Someone I _know _will support and protect me with unwavering fealty as I do my best to put my kingdom, no, _our _kingdom back rights." Her eyes were wide, sincere, and beseeching as she spoke quietly to him alone, her grip on his hands tight, the only sign of the fear in her heart that he might decline "The world never stops needing heroes, Link. Your task is complete, but that doesn't mean there's not still work to be done."

"Zelda, I'm not...you're not..." the Hero fumbled for words, but couldn't seem to find the right ones to express the feelings that churned uncertainly in his heart.

"I know I'm not the princess that you wanted, Link," Zelda said quietly, eyes sad as she held his hands tighter when the man flinched and almost pulled away "But you are still the hero that Hyrule _needs_."

Link closed his eyes against Zelda's heart felt pleas and took a deep breath. She was right, she wasn't the princess that he wanted. If Midna had come to him with the same request he would have given her his sword readily, eagerly even. He would have pledged her his strength and so much more if she had so much as crooked her little finger at him, let alone gotten on her knees and begged as Zelda was.

The Hero exhaled slowly and opened his eyes once more to meet Zelda's searching gaze. Midna may have been the princess he wanted, but it was Zelda that needed him.

Link stood from his seat and used his grip on Zelda's hands to pull her back to her feet. Her expression was worried until he went down on both knees, released her hands, and drew his sword. He raised it before him, the blade resting heavily across his palms as he offered it to her and said in a quiet, even voice "Princess Zelda of Hyrule, I offer you my sword, and swear my fealty to you, and the crown of Hyrule. I will safeguard the helpless and defend you, your country, and your people until my dying day."

Zelda regarded the man on his knees before her, and understood for the first time the full weight of the gift the goddesses had graced Hyrule with in the form of this man. As he spoke, his words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning and promise. Heart thundering in her chest, Zelda reached out a hand and took the Ordon Sword from Link's hands, and looked at it for a long moment, as though inspecting it for some unseen fault. Satisfied, the Princess turned her gaze back to Link.

"Link, Chosen Hero of the Goddesses, savior of Hyrule and the Twilight Realm; I, Princess Zelda, do dub thee a Knight of Hyrule, Champion of the Kingdom, and Lord of Ordon Province." Link looked up at her in surprise as she briefly touched both of his shoulder's with the flat of his blade, but the Princess continued before he could object to his new lordship "In return for the gift of your fealty, I swear this: I will do all in my power to see our Realm of Light, and the Realm of Twilight reconnected."

* * *

**AN:** Well there we go! Link is now not only Knight Champion, but the new Lord of Ordon ;D Check back next week to see how well this goes over, haha!  
Please leave a Review if you enjoyed! Comments keep me my muse well fed and working!


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